This ABC News link is from more than a month ago but this story seems not to be too out of the ordinary.
Apparently word is getting back from Iraq to the troops set to deploy.
http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/US/soldiers_armor_040217.htmlRather than training, what many soldiers really want is armor to protect their vehicles from the bombs they can't see. When reservists in the Army Reserves' 428th Transportation Company showed up at Fort Riley, Kan., to prepare for deployment, they were warned by their buddies already in Iraq that without armor on the vehicles, they'd be in danger.
Maj. Keith Porter said he took the warnings seriously. "They suggested it would be a good idea to add steel plating as additional protection," he said.
The Army, though, had none to give them. While production of armor has been stepped up, supply is far short of the need. So Porter and his soldiers started looking for ways to armor their vehicles themselves.
Local citizens, hearing of their plight, donated money, and a local steel company offered to turn 12,000 pounds of raw steel into armor custom-fit to their trucks — free of charge.
The 428th has since learned that other Army units also are creating homemade armor. Army officials caution that some of it may not meet military standards, but so far they have not prohibited its use.